XXL Products I've Used Up // April

I should have written this post weeks ago - then it would not have been this long. I have been collecting these products for a while now and it is time to talk about them before there are just too many for one post.
 

Herbal Essences Shampoo Oriental Dream: This shampoo was in a haul of mine ages ago. I liked it but did not love it. That is generally how I seem to feel about Herbal Essences shampoos (while I do not really like any of their conditioners at all) but I still try them again and again because I always get sucked in by their packaging (which they seem to switch out every two weeks).

Dove Advanced Hair Series Youthful Vitality Shampoo: Both of the shampoos of the Dove Advanced Hair Series that I have tried worked really well with my hair. I generally cannot use one shampoo for too long before it loses its effect on my hair. That is why I always have two shampoos in my shower that I alternate between. When I use this shampoo I can almost go three days without washing my hair and that is really good for me. I am not sure whether this series is no longer available or whether Dove has just changed the packaging.

Garnier Fructies Conditioner Oil Repair 3 Wonder Butter: I used to love the Garnier Fructies Oil Repair 3 Hair Mask so I thought I might like the conditioner as well. I did like this conditioner but I did not love it and I will not repurchase it. It works fine with my hair but it is not as moisturizing as other hair products I have used and on top of that I used up this product very quickly. I had to use a lot of product to cover my hair - don't ask my why - and so in the end it is not even as cheap as it appears to be.

Guhl Conditioner with Tucuma & Oil: I am a big fan of Guhl conditioners. They all work really well with my hair and make it feel all soft and well taken care of. I used to also love Guhl shampoos and I still have one in my shower I am currently using up but those generally contain hormonal substances I do not want in my beauty products and that's why I only use their conditioners anymore.

alverde Shower Body Scrub Magnolia & Shea Nut: I don't think I ever used up a body scrub this quickly. It has a rather slippery, thin consistency and there are not a lot of exfoliating particles in the scrub so I tended to use a lot of it at once. The scrub was moisturizing to the skin and the scent was subtle and light. The big downside to the product  - at least to me - was that it did not exfoliate my  skin that well. If you want a light scrub and you have sensitive skin I think you would like this. I personally prefer a more intense scrub and therefore I did not repurchase this body scrub.

 

Balea Creme Oil Shower Scrub Berry & Magnoila: This product I did not actually use up - I decided to throw it out before I did. I liked the scent and the packaging and all of that but all these things do not matter when the product does not help your skin or - like it did in this case - makes your skin even worse. Even if this product was not the ultimate cause for my skin getting worse it still did not help. So in the best case scenario this is still a useless product and that in itself is enough of a reason not to recommend it.

alverde Shower Gel Vanilla Mandarine: This has to e my favorite scent alverde has ever done. They used to sell a body butter with this scent and I adored that one. I highly recommend you try alverde shower gels - they have an amazing scent selection, they foam up nicely and they do not dehydrate your skin.

alverde Winter Love Shower Creme: This was the most awful shower gel I ever used. The product worked well on my skin - the big problem I had with it was just the scent. It is strange that I loved the corresponding body butter but I just detested the shower gel. The scent was just disgusting to me and I used it up as quickly as I could.

alverde Winter Love Body Butter: This is the body butter I was just talking about. I liked it so much it even made it into my January Favorites Post. It definitely did not have the same scent as the shower gel and I did enjoy this one a lot more. I still prefer the vanilla-mandarin scent by alverde that I also talked about before but this one was still pretty good.

alverde Body Butter Cinderella: Can you tell I like alverde's body butters? This was my favorite body butter from the Limited Edition Fairy Tail Forest Set so far. I loved the scent and the texture and they way it moisturized my skin - please bring this back as a full size body butter, alverde!

Labello Lip Butter Raspberry Rosé: I used up a labello lip butter before but I don't feel like it took this long for me to do that back then. This one took forever. I only use lip butters at night because they leave a milky, shimmery color on my lips and I do not like that finish. This lip butter does help with my dry lips and it is definitely among the most effective lip balms I ever used.

 

Catrice Multi-Color Rouge: This is another one of those products I technically did not use up. This is by far my favorite / most worn blush - but not my favorite highlighter. That is why the packaging looks like that now. I also have the newer version of this blush - that I love just as much - and so it just no longer made sense to hold on to what is left of my former favorite blush.

Catrcie Glam & Doll Mascara Waterproof: This is a well known, much loved favorite waterproof mascrara of a lot of people - and that is precisely the problem I have with it. It is sold out everywhere!

Rexona Pure Fresh & NIvea Fresh Natural Deodoran: There is not really much to say about these. I like my deodorant to smell fresh and that is it. I do not want vanilla or tropical coconut in there - the simpler the better. That is what these represent to me. They worked fine for me and I probably will repurchase them. When it comes to deodorant I just tend to buy whatever scent I like that contains no aluminum and that is about as far as my research goes before purchasing one.

What products did you use up this month? What are the reasons for you to throw out products before they run out? What are your deal breakers?

Beauty Haul // March

Apparently I am really into pink right now ;) This month I did not actually repurchase a lot of products but decided to give some new ones a try.

Balea Hand Soap Soft Touch Elder & Cherry: I am obsessed with this scent! Balea hand soaps can actually be quite drying to the skin but I just always fall victim to their packaging and scent combination. 

Balea Limited Edition Creme & Oil Shower Scrub Berries & Magnolia: The scent of this body scrub is lovely. It has been a long time since I used a Balea body scrub and I am looking forward to using this. I tend to like scrubs with oil so I am excited to see if I found a cheaper alternative to the more expensive oil scrubs I used before.

Astor Quick & Shine Nail Polish 204 Life in Pink: It is pretty ridiculous how long I have been debating about buying this nail polish. I have set a goal for myself to not buy anymore than three nail polishes in 2017 and this is the first one on that list. The color is just beautiful and I am generally a big fan of Astor nail polishes.

wellaflex Curls & Waves Hair Styling Mousse: This kind of product was very popular when I was a teenager. Nowadays people talk more about how mousse is not the best for your hair because it can make it look crispy and stiff and so I have not used a hair styling mousse in years. Then why did I buy this? I was looking through old pictures of me and I actually really liked my hair from back then. I am trying to use less heat on my hair and since my hair is naturally wavy I thought I would try a styling mousse to make it more curly without using heat on it.

alverde Anti-Spot-SOS-Serum: This spot treatment is not a holy grail to me but I repurchased it because I feel like it did help and worked just as fine as all the other anti spot treatments I tried before. Do you have any recommendations?

Merz Spezial Perfect Skin Face Mask with Silkproteins & Riceoil: Can you tell I have skin problems? Right now my skin is actually pretty good but that is probably not going to stay that way for too long (at least it usually doesn't) and I want to have products that help quickly ready to be used when my skin does act up again.

What did you products did you try this month?

Drugstore Haul // February

I used up a lot of products lately and so naturally I had to fill in some of the gaps. I repurchased some but I also decided to give a few new products a try.

alverde Shower Gel Limited Edition Vanilla & Mandarine: Usually I am not the biggest fan of vanilla - not to say I do not like the scent - but alverde somehow figured out a way to make me love it. They have come out with this exact scent a number of times in limited edition products before and I just hope one day they ad it to their permanent collection.

alverde Shower Body Scrub Magnolia & Shea Nut: I just used up my last body scrub and wanted to try a body scrub from the drugstore next. I generally like alverde body products and even though I do not like the scent of shea butter this product has a subtle enough scent that it does not really matter to me.

Guhl Moisturizing Conditioner with Tucuma & Oil: Guhl hair products work really well with my hair. Most of their shampoos contain hormonal substances which I am trying to stay away from but their conditioners do not. The conditioner is especially designed to give moisture back to your hair and I hope that is what it will do for my hair.

Garnier Fructis Oil Repair 3 Wonder Butter: This is actually an accidental purchase - I thought I was buying shampoo. I should have been paying more attention in the store but now that I have this conditioner I am actually quite excited to try it out.

Catrice Glam & Doll Volume Mascara Waterproof: There is an entire post coming up next Friday about Catrice mascaras so I am not going to talk too much about it here. This is my favorite everyday mascara and I have been repurchasing it for a long time now. 

ISANA Nail Polish Remover:I used to try out different nail polish removers every time I used the old one up but I have been sticking to this one for a few years now. It does a great job at removing nail polish while still not drying out the skin and nails like a lot of other nail polish removers do.

Balea Shaving Gel Pink Grapefruit: This is another repurchase. When it comes to shaving gel I am actually quite picky and this is by far my favorite. The packaging is amazing but I am looking forward to them changing it up again. dm usually switches out their scents and packaging every few months but this particular one has been around for quite some time now.

 

Nivea Double Effect Eye-Make-Up Remover: There was a sale of Nivea products at Rossmann which is why I bought this eye-make-up remover again. I like this product for removing waterproof mascara and eye liner but I think I might like the Garnier Eye-Make-Up Remover 2in1 better.

What did you shop for this month?

Products I've Used Up // January

A few months ago I decided to do Products I've Used Up posts every other month instead of once a month. Now I am starting to think maybe that wasn't such a good idea. This is a rather long posts about a lot of products and next time I am going to try and keep it shorter. Also, I have had to use new software to work on my images and I am not quite happy with it yet. It just takes time to figure all that out.

Carmex Classic Moisturizing Lip Balm: This is the most effective lip balm I have ever used. It helps with dry, chapped lips and it looks like a simple, clear lip gloss when you apply it. I have already repurchased this lip balm and I will probably do it again when I use up the next tube.

alverde Face Scrub with Apricot & Calendula for every skin type: I just wrote a review of this product that I will link here: click. Overall I really liked this face scrub and I already repurchased it.

alverde Eye Creme for every skin type: I have generally dry skin but the area around my eyes is especially sensitive. The eye creme that works best for me is this one by alverde. The company does do eye cremes especially made for dry skin but I still like this one the best. It is very moisturizing and sinks in quickly. The creme also does not irritate my skin and it is one of the most affordable eye creme I could find in the drugstore.

alverde Body Butter Macadamia Nut for very dry skin & alverde Limited Edition Fairy Tale Forest Body Butter Snow White: This is the most lovely body moisturizer I have ever used. I do not like the scent of macadamia nuts but I still loved this body butter. The Snow White body butter that was part of a limited edition miniature body butter set smells like apples. I usually like that scent but there is something sour about that scent that I do not like. It is my least favorite scent from the set but I am still very happy with the product. Alverde body butters are the most moisturizing but also the quickest body products to sink into the skin. On top of that Alverde body butters are usually vegan which is a great plus.

 

ISANA Creme Shower Limited Edition Forbidden Apple: This the best shower gel I have used in a while. The combination of apple and caramel is just lovely and I am looking forward to repurchasing this.

Fa Limited Edition Winter Love Blueberry Dream Shower Creme: This is a really long name for a simple shower gel. I liked the scent and I liked the overall product but I do not remember it as anything special. The one thing I really did not like was the packaging - it just looks a little cheap.

Guhl Deep Repair Conditioner: This is already my second bottle of this conditioner. I feel like I used up this product a lot quicker than I usually do but maybe I am just imagining that. I have dry hair and this conditioner takes great care of that. It also makes my hair a lot easier to brush through than if I do not use any conditioner on it.

Schwarzkopf Schmusekatze Anti-Frizz Lotion: I have been using this product for years. That in itself should tell you how much I like this lotion. The only reason I did not repurchase this product and will not recommend it anymore is that there are hormonal substances contained in it. I personally try to avoid those substances which is why I no longer want to use this product. I luckily happened to use the product up right when I found out about the hormonal substances so none of it will go to waste.

Dresdner Essenz Limited Edition Winter Magic Bath: I love taking baths in the winter time. This product had a wonderful apple caramel scent but it does not translate that well to the water. I would like the scent to be more intense but other than that I really liked this product.

 

essence Colour & Go Nail Polish 146 that's what I mint!: This was a very on trend nail polish a few years ago - a dupe for a more expensive essie nail polish. I try do go through all of my nail polishes at least once a year so I can sort out the once that have gone bad or maybe rediscover an old favorite. This is one of the polishes that has gone bad. The polish has separated and the consistency is simply no longer the same. I still really like the color but if you are looking for a similar polish I would recommend the Maybelline Super Stay Forever Strong Gel Nail Color 615 Mint for Life.

Garnier Eye-Make-Up Remover & Balea Shaving Gel Limited Edition Oriental Flower: Both of these products are regulars in my Products I've Used Up posts. I have repurchased them both multiple times and will probably do that again soon. There are different scents available of the Balea shaving gel and I personally prefer other scents to this floral one. The scent is just to heavy for my taste but that is simply a question of preference.

What products did you use up this month?

Drugstore Haul // October

Can you believe it is already October? It is finally getting colder and autumn has definitely arrived. I love this time of the year. When it comes to drugstore products they often skip autumn and jump straight into winter and Christmas scents. I would prefer some actual autumn products that are maybe pumpkin-scented or something like that. Still, I love most of the new scents and I am excited to try these new products out. Some of them have nothing to do with autumn but I had to restock on some essentials as well.

dusch das Shower Gel Red Apple & Grenadine: I cannot believe I never noticed this in the shelves before! Apples are probably my favorite food and I love everything apple-scented. This apple and grenadine and it smells amazing. The only thing I already know I will not like about this is the color of the gel. Don't get me wrong, it looks pretty in the packaging but I do not like my shower gel to be red.

Guhl Deep Repair Conditioner: I repurchased this conditioner before I even used it up. I knew  I wanted to try another Guhl conditioner because I liked the last one I used so much. When I was in the store and debated about what to get I just decided to repurchase the one I loved so much. I still want to try other versions of this conditioner and I think the next shampoo I am going to buy will also be by Guhl.

Dresdner Essenz  Limited Edition Winter Magic Bath: This is a caramel and apple scented bath and it smells delicious. Dresdner Essenz came out with more Christmas scents and I am excited about pretty much all of them but it is a little too early for me for ginger bread and similar scents. I don't think I have ever tried Dresdner Essenz products but if I like this one I am definitely trying out more.

Dresdner Essenz Aroma-Creme Bath Pomegranate: Usually I add a little bubble bath when I use another bath salt or bath product that does not produce bubbles itself.  I really like pomegranate and I am looking forward to trying this product out.

alverde Body Butter Macadamia Nut: This used to be my favorite body butter ever and it still would be to this day if they had not changed their scent to one of the few things I really cannot stand. Every body butter or body lotion for dry skin in the drugstore is either made with sheabutter or macadamia nut and I really don't like those scents. Since I am beginning to run out of options I decided to go back to what I already know I love even if I dislike the scent.

Balea Shaving Gel Limited Edition Oriental Flower: I have talked about this shaving gel a million times but still wanted to include it because there is a new scent in the range! I am always excited about their new scents (even if I do have to admit it would be a more autumn or winter related) and the design is again amazing.

Yankee Candle Tart Spiced Orange: This scent reminds me so much of autumn and winter and cold weather and all those good things. I wanted to repurchase this tart last year but I could not find it anywhere. That is why I was even more excited when I spotted it in the shops.

Profissimo Apple Cinnamon Scented Tealights: When discovered these tealights in dm last week I was really excited about it because I have owned these before and did not think I would ever find these again. The scent is phenomenal (can you tell I like apple scented things?) and can fill up the whole room.

Garnier Eye-Make-Up Remover 2-in-1 Waterproof: With the change of the season I got back into wearing eye-make-up and liner and all this good stuff. That also means I have been using a lot more of this eye-make-up remover than I did in the summer time.

ebelin Polishing Nail File: When you wear nail polish for a long continues time and switch it out again and again your nails are going to suffer from that. Then you have to take better care of nails to keep them healthy. I find that filing my nails properly and taking care of them in that way makes a big difference. The nail polish goes on smoother and it lasts longer because there is no 'broken' nail under the polish and it can stick to a healthy, smooth nail that will make it last longer.

What did you shop for this month?